


aftermath.

by FindingArendelle



Category: Frozen (Disney Movies), Frozen - Anderson-Lopez & Lopez/Lee
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:08:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25295947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FindingArendelle/pseuds/FindingArendelle
Summary: Sometimes I wonder how Anna must’ve felt when Elsa left.Was there ever a moment where she felt angry at her sister for leaving Arendelle? Well, if not angry... then maybe a little hurt and confused? Though momentarily, did Anna ever have conflicting feelings about her life’s trajectory and her relationship with Elsa?No, this isn’t one of those “I hate the ending” (because I 110% don’t) stories. I wanted to explore the aftermath of Frozen 2 and what could’ve been Anna’s train of thought as she tries to make her peace with her new role as queen while adjusting to a life without Elsa being there all the time.Anyways, this is a product of listening to TNRT every single day for the past week. Ugh, KBell, y u hurt me like this.
Relationships: Anna & Elsa (Disney), Anna/Kristoff (Disney)
Kudos: 18





	aftermath.

**Author's Note:**

> Sometimes I wonder how Anna must’ve felt when Elsa left. 
> 
> Was there ever a moment where she felt angry at her sister for leaving Arendelle? Well, if not angry... then maybe a little hurt and confused? Though momentarily, did Anna ever have conflicting feelings about her life’s trajectory and her relationship with Elsa?
> 
> No, this isn’t one of those “I hate the ending” (because I 110% don’t) stories. I wanted to explore the aftermath of Frozen 2 and what could’ve been Anna’s train of thought as she tries to make her peace with her new role as queen while adjusting to a life without Elsa being there all the time. 
> 
> Anyways, this is a product of listening to TNRT every single day for the past week. Ugh, KBell, y u hurt me like this.

Anna hadn’t eaten all day. Her chest felt heavy like there was an anchor pulling it down, the crushing weight of it settling at the base of her lungs. It hurt to think, it hurt to blink… it hurt to breathe. She hadn’t expected this kind of hollowness to carve a hole in her heart, and the familiarity of it brought back an emptiness that made her feel so incredibly numb.

It was so dumb and it didn’t feel right. She didn’t feel any better knowing that it was the same reason and the same person that was causing her all this pain and confusion.

 _Elsa_ had gone away and left her all alone. Again. But that wasn’t what it was – no, they made a promise to each other. They were in this together.

It didn’t make it hurt any less, though.

Anna’s stomach twisted into a knot upon remembering her last interaction with Elsa before she left for Northuldra. Even though they had refused to say goodbye (because that wasn’t what it was), it still felt like an abandonment that Anna refused to acknowledge in fear of getting her feelings all tangled up. She didn’t want to be angry at Elsa - she didn’t want to feel like she was losing her sister all over again.

_This is for the good of the kingdom. This is what Elsa wanted. And this is what I wanted, too… right?_

Their not-goodbye was amicable and filled with promises of seeing each other often. Anna had been successful in putting up a façade that was convincing enough for Elsa to believe that she was going to be okay, and that Arendelle will be in good hands; strong and secure against all hardships and troubles.

But strong and secure was not what Anna was while she watched her sister embrace a tearful Kai and Gerda. She smiled even though her lungs felt like they were burning, her hands tight and clasped together to keep them from dragging Elsa back to the castle. She was so proud of herself for not showing weakness, and for not bawling and asking Elsa to back out of her decision to live with people she barely knew - in a strange and magical land far away from her reach.

Everything was going well until Elsa’s eyes found hers.

It was in a moment of clarity that nearly made Anna crumble right then and there: when Elsa looked at her longingly before wrapping her arms around her, a quiet whimper escaping her lips. Anna pulled her in closer, her resolve falling apart when Elsa nuzzled her shoulder, her heart wrenching with each beat when it finally started to register that Elsa was truly leaving.

Anna was dangerously close to begging Elsa to stay – who was she kidding? She felt so stupid for resisting - but she also didn’t have it in her to stop her sister from finding her own version of happiness even if that meant leaving her behind.

_“Hey… hey. Look at me. Arendelle’s going to be just fine. Please stop crying, you stinker. You’re making me look bad! I promise I won’t screw up as queen. It’s not like I didn’t learn from the best.”_

_“Shush. You’re an amazing queen, Anna. I just… Will you be okay?”_

_“Of course. Now go out there and find a new adventure. I can’t wait to hear all about it when I see you again for game night. You better show up, queen’s orders.”_

_“Yes, Your Majesty. I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I love you.”_

_“I know. And I love you, too. So very much.”_

Pushing her grief aside and convincing herself for the hundredth time that this was for the best, Anna mustered whatever inch of courage she had left and looked on as the Nokk rode off across the ocean with her best friend in tow.

_What now?_

Absentmindedly staring at the untouched plate of Krumkake in front of her, Anna fiddled with the tip of her braid, the sweet aroma of her favorite dessert pulling her back to the present. She shook her head, but her mind continued to wander to Elsa, to Ahtohallan, to her parents and this strange feeling residing in a corner of her heart that somewhat resembled… _resentment?_

She was so distracted by her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed Kristoff approaching her desk, a worried expression etched on his face as he watched Anna sigh and massage the bridge of her nose.

“Hey… is everything okay?” he asked in a gentle tone, causing Anna to look up, the bags under her eyes noticeable from lack of sleep. “I haven’t seen you all afternoon. Busy day today?”

“I’m fine. I’m just tired from that long meeting with those dignitaries from Sweden,” Anna replied, offering a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’ll eat that later,” she added quickly when she caught Kristoff eyeing her food tray.

“Not in the mood for dessert?”

Anna chuckled dryly. “Yeah… I drank a lot of coffee this morning.”

“Ahh. Gotcha.”

Sensing Kristoff’s awkwardness and unspoken questions that she knew he’d been trying to hold back from asking, Anna pushed herself up from her desk to avoid any chances of having a conversation that she wasn’t ready for. She walked the short distance to the door without so much as a warning, avoiding her fiance’s confused glance.

As much as she appreciated his concern, the thought of opening up about how she felt was daunting. She felt like a dam that was ready to burst at any moment if triggered. She’d had enough of dams, and quite frankly, she didn’t really feel like crying anymore. She had places to be, people to see, and a kingdom to run.

She couldn’t help but wonder if this was what Elsa felt when she was queen: forbidden to have the luxury to have some sort of meltdown because of all that she needed to do to keep Arendelle safe and functioning.

“Come,” Anna beckoned him closer, extending an open hand in invitation, another weak smile gracing her features, “Let’s go see Papa and Mama’s new statues. Sir Christian really outdid himself this time. He finally got Papa’s nose right!”

Kristoff held his breath as he fought the temptation to protest and drag the queen back to her desk to spoon feed her himself. “Of course,” he said instead, returning her smile which he was sure looked like a cringe, his feet dragging him forward, reluctant and heavy against the creaking floor boards.

Swallowing hard as Anna pulled him away, he turned to look over his shoulder at the dessert that Anna had once enjoyed scarfing down her throat the moment it was presented to her. It no longer looked fresh and warm, the icing on the layer melting from hours of exposure. It was as if Anna didn’t try to eat at all – she didn’t even pretend to show interest by at least picking at it with her fork.

Kristoff remembered Gerda’s quiet plea to convince Anna to eat something – anything - and imagined how disappointed she would be once she found out that he’d failed again. 


End file.
